Before the start of the Confederations Cup, Mexico is scheduled to play a World Cup qualifying match Tuesday against Costa Rica. This comes after playing to a scoreless draw against Panama in qualifying last Friday.. El Tri has been in a goal drought in the last several qualifying matches. The team has scored only twice in Hexagonal qualifying, both against Honduras. Including friendlies, El Tri has only netted five goals this year.

Mexico will be facing tough opponents in Group A. The group consists of Japan, Brazil, and Italy. El Tri will have to hope that Chicharito can find the back of the net, and that they will make it out of group stages. Mexico will begin their Confederations Cup tournament against Italy, before facing Brazil, and then Japan.

HOW MEXICO GOT HERE

Mexico qualified for the 2013 Confederations Cup after defeating the U.S. 4-2 in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Not only did the 2011 Gold Cup win them bragging rights and a title, but it also qualified them for this year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil. El Tri was crowned Gold Cup champions in 2011 for the second consecutive time in a game that dominated the U.S. and all of CONCACAF.

Chicharito Hernandez was named Most Valuable Player of the Gold Cup  with his performance through out the tournament. The trophy marked their sixth Gold Cup title. The fairly young squad has several players who also played in last year’s 2012 Olympics and beat out Brazil for the gold. Mexico were also winners of  the 1999 Confederations Cup and were semifinalists in 2005.

WHY MEXICO WILL WIN

Mexico will win only if Chicharito continues to find the back of the net. The focus will be on the team to strategize offensively. El Tri must use this opportunity to show that they are contenders for next years tournament.  The squad will have to show the same attitude and skill Mexico has presented at the Gold Cup, the 2012 Olympics, and the Under-17 World Cup.

El Tri’s strong defense is led by goalkeeper Cruz Azul’s Jose Corona who will be vital in defeating powerhouses like Brazil and Italy. Corona remains in form and led his club team to Liga Mx finals. Mexican fans will hope Corona can do the same for their country. Their solid backline mixed with the speed and agility of the offense will help them in-group stages. The defense consists of strong players from the Mexican League including Carlos Salcido, Severo Meza, Diego Reyes, and Gerardo Flores. Their midfield is made up of an organized and talented group of players that includes Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado. Their form and their ability to make crosses will be vital in setting up plays and pressing offensively. Jonathan dos Santos and Hector Herrera, both members of the Mexico’s winning Olympic team, will join them.

Mexico is currently ranked 16th in FIFA rankings, and it is expected for the team to make it out of group stages. The Confederations Cup serves as a learning opportunity for next year’s World Cup. Anything short of advancing out of their group will be a disappointment for manager de la Torre. Mexico’s strong technique and defense are what will lead the team to a possible victory.

WHY MEXICO WON’T WIN

The team has been struggling in front of the goal. This year the team has played to scoreless draws against Jamaica, the U.S., Peru, and now Panama. Mexico also played a friendly leading up to their World Cup qualifying matches against Nigeria that ended in a 2-2 draw. Manuel de la Torre recently added America’s Raul Jiminez to the roster to help assist the team in the front of the net.

Carlos Vela’s absence is affecting the team offensively. Vela scored 14 goals for his club team Real Sociedad. Chicharito has scored four of the teams five goals this year, while players like de Nigris and dos Santos have been struggling in front of goal. Worst-case scenario, the defense becomes unorganized and the team fails to address their offensive problems. de la Torre will have to think through his strategy going into the Confederations Cup.

Competition will be tough for the CONCACAF team. They are facing teams like Brazil, Italy, and possibly Spain who are made up of players who play in Europe, while most of El Tri’s squad plays in Mexico. They will face a dangerous Italian side with strong players like Mario Balotelli, and a Brazilian team with players like Neymar who will want a rematch of their 2012 Olympic final. It may seem that Mexico will be outclassed by the likes of Brazil and Italy, but El Tri has a strong defense to counter their opponent’s attacks. The farthest the team will  possibly make it is through group stages, and if so they would then be matched against either Spain or Uruguay.

PLAYER TO WATCH: JAVIER HERNANDEZ

Manchester United’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has scored four of his team’s five goals this year. His partnership with Peralta upfront will be a dangerous pairing. Chicharito is Mexico’s go-to for scoring. Chicharito ranks 5th in numbers of goals for Mexico. His form and technique and speed will challenge his opponents defensively. Chicharito was the top scorer during the 2011 Gold Cup. He is the most well known Mexican player, and has the European experience to take on and threaten his opponents. The success of the team will largely depend on how many goals he scores.

ROSTER

Goalkeepers- Jose de Jesus Corona, Guillermo Ochoa, Alfredo Talavera

Defenders- Hiram Mier, Hector Moreno, Jorge Torres Nilo, Diego Reyes, Francisco Rodriguez, Carlos Salcido, Gerardo Flores, Severo Meza

Midfielders- Javier Aquino, Pablo Barrera, Jesus Molina, Angel Reyna, Gerardo Torrado, Jesus Zavala, Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera

Forwards- Raul Jiminez, Javier Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos, Aldo de Nigris

GROUP A SCHEDULE

June 16th: Mexico vs. Italy

June 19th: Mexico vs. Brazil

June 22nd: Mexico vs. Japan

**Courtesy of Vincent La Rosa**

International tournaments in odd-numbered years are… well, odd. Once the crown jewel of Saudi Arabian soccer, started in 1992 originally as the King Fahd Cup, the Confederations Cup was taken over by FIFA in 1997 and scheduled every four years starting in 2005. Held at the eventual sites of the following year’s World Cup, the Confed Cup is routinely referred to as a dry run for the host nation, and while its proximity to the World Cup might lead some to make conclusions in regards to the more prestigious tournament the following year, no Confederations Cup winning team has gone on the hoist the World Cup trophy the following year.

Add to the fact, most teams are still in the midst of qualifying for said World Cup the following year, in addition to the grueling domestic and cup seasons many of the teams’ players have just concluded, and the Confederations Cup appears to be little more than a speed bump on the road to Brazil 2014.

But I digress.

HOW ITALY GOT HERE

As one might guess, the Confederations Cup is challenged by the victors of regional tournament’s held by FIFA’s six confederations. To round out the tournament’s field, the winner of the World Cup and the host of the following year’s World Cup are invited to play and put on the tournament.

For Italy’s party, after taking place in the 2009 version of the Cup as World Cup winners, they’ve entered this year’s tournament through the proverbial backdoor. Having finished second to Spain in the Euros, Italy was guaranteed a spot before the Euro final of 2012 even took place, as Spain would already be an entrant as the 2010 World Cup winner.

Keeping in mind Italy’s less than enthusiastic approach to summer friendlies and odd-year tournaments, one might assume many of Italy’s players might have wished said backdoor had been locked in regards to their entrance into the tournament.

But again, I digress.

WHY ITALY WILL WIN

As I just mentioned, Italy are notorious for lackluster performances in matches of little consequence to them. Even in qualifiers and group stage matches, the Italians are nothing if not solely business-like, only getting what they need and rarely expending any excess energy if possible.

However, in recent years, the Mister of the Italian National Team, Cesare Prandelli, has set about reinventing a squad that takes all matches seriously, friendly or not. Prandelli’s proactive brand of soccer has the Italians playing in a style much more pleasing to the eye, while still remaining effective in the results column.

Encouraging intricate interplay in attack and high pressing without the ball, Prandelli’s Italy is a product of the modern game. And while it surprised some, Italy’s run to the final of the Euros in 2012 was a just reward for the new philosophy and players Prandelli has integrated into this Italian team. Possessing much of that same team for the Confederations Cup, and with another year under Prandelli’s tutelage, if Italy can build upon their Euros success, they may just surprise people again.

WHY ITALY WON’T WIN

Having said so many kind words regarding Prandelli’s Italy and their new mindset in all matches, those seriously expecting Italy to challenge in a set of “glorified friendlies” are probably mistaken. This is still Italy we are talking about; it’ll take more than a few years under Mister Prandelli before the old habits completely die.

Case and point: Italy’s most recent World Cup qualifier. With the chance to all but wrap up their group by exerting themselves just a bit more in a difficult away match to the Czech Republic, the Italian players appeared vaguely interested in doing little more than sewing up a road point and calling it a day. As ESPN commentator Janusz Michallik so expertly summed it up on Twitter after, “Italy are the masters of getting what they need even when they play badly.” Sadly, a Confederations Cup is of little need to the players from the peninsula. Couple that with the fact Italy find themselves in a difficult group with the hosts Brazil and two very technical teams with high work rates in Japan and Mexico, would it surprise anyone if the Italians did a bit of a trot about for three games then packed it up to continue their holidays after a long season?

PLAYER TO WATCH: MARIO BALOTELLI

While Italy may have a saint in goal in the form of Gigi Buffon and a maestro in midfield in Andrea Pirlo, it is the Milan striker’s performance that will be the true barometer of Italy’s performance in the tournament.

Think of Mario Balotelli along the lines of Barney Stinson’s Hot to Crazy Scale. Like some of the crazy exs of your past, the hotter they are, the very real possibility that their crazy level raises steadily as well. Poor Mario fits nicely along this proven correlation line. But trade hotness for talent and sadly, keep the crazy. That’s our Mario.

Balotelli’s talent and antics were well-documented long before last summer’s Euros, but his brace in the semifinal against tournament favorites Germany announced his true introduction on the world stage for all the right reasons.

Seemingly uncontrollable, Prandelli’s patience and father-like approach to Super Mario has routinely gotten the best of the striker, even if he still has his moments of insanity – like picking up two yellows in the space of three minutes in the qualifier against the Czech Republic. On the field, Balotelli is a specimen. Strong on the ball, quick, able cut in from the outside or play with his back to goal, Balotelli can score from all over the pitch. Couple that with the fact this hothead is actually one of the coolest customers around when presented with a chance in front of goal – Balotelli has converted every single one of his penalty attempts in his profession career – and you’ve got a danger man in all manners of speaking.

Still just 22, it’s important to note Balotelli could very well be playing with Italy’s U-21s in the Under-21 European Championships this summer instead of with the senior side, so much of the expectations heaped upon him might be a bit unfair. But then again, if there’s one player you’d be right to expect the unexpected from it’s Super Mario. If he’s focused and up to it, he very well could set down a marker in Brazil this summer with an encore performance on a bigger stage a year later.